Machine for affixing can openers to cans



Feb. 24, 1942. F, @LLERD 2,274,301

MACHINE FOR AFFIXING CAN OPENERS TO CANS Filed Sept. 5, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet l l I 6| I 24 25 i 28 69 a 2 as /5/ \\\\\L--.. J7 /0 mm; 7 6 I I7 I 86 5 70 I 20 as a 3/ a4 2 r 4 5 7 2 as Feb. 24, 1942., MlLLERD 2,274,301

MACHINE FOR AFFIXING CAN OPENERS TO CANS Filed Sept. 5, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 nvveuroz fkflNcls M/L L 5120.

ATTORNEY- Feb. 24, 1942. MlLLERD 2,274,301

I MACHINE FOR AFFIXING CAN OPENERS TO CANS Filed Sept. 5, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 25 I 25 1" F 4 I 9 34 34 4 F 9. 3/ l l/ 3 37 v36 35 30 .36 3a 44* 38 l O I 37 MIVENTOR. FRHNc/S Mil L 5RD- ZJM ATTORNEY.

'wards above the table-2.

Patented Feb. 24, 1942 l 2,274,301 r MACHINE FORAFF KING CAN ()PENERS 'ro Francis Miller-d, Vancouver, British Columbia,

Canada Application September 5, 1939, Serial No. 293,382

4 Claims. (01. 29-44) 1 My invention relates to improvements in majects of the invention are to provide means for removing an opener from the bottom of a magazine and force said opener into position between opposite rim portions of the can whereby it is held with sufficient security to permit the handling and packing of the cans and. at the same time leave said opener readily removable when required to open the can.

The'invention consists of a magazine, a can conveyor, means for moving an article from the magazine and means for receiving the article removed from the magazine and for applying it to the can, as will be more fully described in the following specification and. shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: I i

Fig. 1 is a front elevational View of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan broken away.

Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the can opener magazine.

7 Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3 showing the slide in fully extended position.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the magazine showing the slide fully-withdrawn.

' Fig, 6 is a sectional view taken on the lin 6-6 of Figure 5.

Fig. '7 is a sectional view of the magazine showing the slide partially withdrawn.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view showing the cam path and the positions assumed by the plunger incidental to the movement of the cam.

Fig. 9 is a detail front elevational view of the plunger.

View of the invention partly Fig. 10 is a detail side elevational view of the plunger.

. Fig. 11 ispa plan view of the the line lI-H of Figure 9. In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

Thenumeral I indicates a base above which is supported a table 2. Mounted upon the base is a vertical shaft or column 3 which extends up- Journalled about the column 3 is a sleeve 4 having a bevel gear 5 secured to its lower end and a turntable 6 secured to its upper end. The turntable is adapted to be continuously rotated from a shaft 1 having a pulley 8 at its outer end and a bevel pinion 9 at its opposite end which meshes with the bevel plunger taken on chines for affixing can openers to cans. The 0b turntable 6.

2 so that cans may be slid by any suitable means onto the turntable.

Partly surrounding the'turntable a guard rail IB is providedwhich keeps the cans aligned in their proper path through the machine. Spaced from the periphery of the turntable 6 is a cam ring generally indicated by the numeral l2. This cam ring is made up in the present instance with three separate cams I3, each consisting of an incline I4, see particularly Figure 8, a high level I5, 3. normal level l6 and a decline H. The decline I1 is formed with an overhanging member l8'supported by a leg l9 from the surface of the Surrounding the cam ring I2 is a guard ring between which and-the guard 10 the cans are carried.

An overhanging frame 22 is supported from the column 3 and upon a leg 23 mounted uponthe table and vertically slidable within this frame is a cam rod 24 and a plunger 25. The cam rod and the plunger are coupled together by a crosshead 26 for simultaneous operation. The cam rod 24 is provided at its base with a cam roller 21 which rides upon the'incline l4, the upper level l5 and the normal level I6 and is drawn downwardly by the decline H. A spring 28 is provided to assist in raising the plunger to approximately its normal position of rest, such as when the normal level l6 of the cam is moving under the cam ro1ler'2l. Fitted at the base of the plunger is a device for applying openers to the cans which is hereinafter referred to as a head and is indicated generally by the numeral 3|], see'details' in Figures 9, 10 and 11.

The head 30 consists of an inverted U-shaped electro magnet 3| having pole pieces 32, a connecting member 33 and a shank 34 extending vertically therefrom which is fitted into the base of the plunger 25. The pole pieces 32 are provided with windings 35 terminating in circuit wires 36. Secured to the connecting member 33 are two fingers 31 and 38, the former being to the front of the machine and being shown broken away in Figure 1. The fingers 31 and 38 are slightly bevelled on their inner faces as at 39 so as to locate each can definitely as the plunger descends above it. Each finger is provided with a horizontal stop 40 which comes to rest upon the rim of the can when the plunger terminates its downward stroke; The finger 31 is short and allows a can to pass under it and the head when the cam roller 21 is on the normal level l6 of the cam l3 and the finger 38 is longer to form a gear 5. The turntable 6 is flush with thetable 515v stop and prevent the can from being carried by the turntable beyond the desired point until an opener has been applied thereto.

A yoke 42 is slidably mounted upon the shank 34 of the electro magnet 3. The yoke 42 supports a horizontal guide frame 43 which surrounds the pole pieces 32 and normally projects below them. The guide frame 43 has end walls 44 and side walls 45, the latter being adapted to bear upon the rim of a. can during the final downward movement of the plunger 25. The end walls 44 are provided with stops 46 which bear upon the rim of the can, tongues 41 which are adapted to project downwards beyond the top of the can rim and to engage the outer periphery of said rim to centre the can prior to the application of the can opener. The end walls 44 are also provided with rebates 48 in which the ends of the opener enter so as to be properly located above the recess formed in the top of the can by its upper rim. The yoke 42 and the guide frame 43 are resiliently held down to their work upon the can by a spring 49 surrounding the shank 25.

Spring projected pilot pins 50 are slidably mounted in the pole pieces 32 which are adapted to enter complementary openings in the can opener as said opener is lifted into contact with the magnet. The energizing of the magnet is effected in proper timing by a pair of contact fingers 53 included in the wires 54 forming the necessary electrical circuit, passing over insulated contact plates 55 which are mounted upon the turntable 6.

Mounted upon the table 2 is a freely rotating star wheel 51 which is turned by each can as it is moved into position beneath the plunger 25 and brought to a stop by the finger 33. When the star wheel 51 comes to rest, one of its arms will be projecting between the two leading cans and will separate one from the other so that when the head 30 descends there is room between said two cans to accommodate the projecting portion of the finger 31. Obviously with the foremost can stopped by the finger 38 the remaining cans will also be at rest for the duration of the plunger movement and the turntable will be rotating beneath them.

The can opener is provided with two openings 60 and 6| adjacent its forward and rearward end, the opening 6| serves as a means for holding the opener in stacked position within the magazine to be hereinafter described.

Mounted above the table 2 is a magazine 63 and a can opener feeding slide generally indicated by the numeral 64. The magazine con sists of a pair of vertical standards 65 supported from a transverse member 66, which member supports a vertical fin 61 upon the outer edge of which is carried a rod 68 having its upper end pointed or mated as at 69 to receive a further rod of a similar nature not shown. Can openers on emerging from the press where they are made drop onto a rod such as above described so that in feeding can openers to the machine it suffices to lift a rod and its assembled openers and connect said rod with the rod 69 of the magazine. In order that the openers may pass downwardly throughout the full length of the rod 69 and past the fin 61 a slot 10, see Figure 3, is provided in the opener which extends from the rear end to the opening through which the rod 69 passes.

The can opener slide 64 is movably mounted within a guide channel 13, see details in Figures 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 and is provided with transverse members 14 which are adapted to be engaged by lug 15 upon the slide 64 and serve as a stop to limit the movement thereof. The slide is provided on its upper face adjacent its forward end with two buttons 16 which are adapted to enter the openings in a can opener as it drops from the magazine and hold said opener against movement relative to the slide. To the rear of the buttons 16 raised portions 11 are provided which support the stack of openers in the magazine during the movement of the slide in delivering one opener to the pick up head 30, see Figure 6, and until the slide is returned to normal position of rest with its rearmost button 16 directly under the rod 69, as shown in Figure 6, when another opener falls into position thereon.

The reciprocation of the slide 64 is effected by an arcuate cam mounted upon a lever 8| journalled on the underside of the table 2, the free end of the lever 8| is connected by a rod 82 to an arm 83, both shown in dotted line in Figure 2. The arm 83 is secured to a vertical shaft 84 which also carries an arm 85 above the table. The arm 85 is resiliently connected to a rod 86 which in turn is connected to a pin 81 extending downwardly from the slide 64. The rod 86 is fitted with a spring which serves to urge said rod in a rearward direction. The spring tension is not an essential feature, but is desirable since it becomes possible to arrange for the slide to come to rest with a slight shock as the lug 15 strikes one of the lugs 14 of the guide channel 13, which assists in causing the lowermost of the column of can openers to drop and maintain a horizontal position. The lever 8| is carried through its return stroke by a spring 88 and is moved through its forward stroke by each of a plurality of pins or rollers 89 which extend from the underside of the turntable 6.

The operation of the machine is as follows:

Can openers are placed in the magazine 63 and cans are fed onto the turntable 6 by a scroll or any other suitable device and are carried around towards the pick up head 30. During the time that the cam roller 21 is riding upon the normal level [6 of the cam l3 the pick up head is so placed that its finger 38 projects into the can path, consequently the foremost can will engage said finger and come to rest under said pick up head. As soon as the cam roller 21 drops to the normal level l6 of the cam l3 one of the pins 89 will engage the arcuate cam 80 and will cause the slide 64 to thrust an opener out from under the column of openers in the magazine and carry it under the pick up head. Simultaneously with the delivery of the can opener below the pick up head, the electro magnet will be energized and the can opener drawn up, guided by the pilot pins 5|),into contact with the pole pieces 32. When this is done the slide will be withdrawn to normal position by the spring 88, since the pin 89 will have passed beyond its cam 80. Before the magnet is deenergized the cam roller 21 is engaged by the decline l1 and draws the pick up head 38 downwardly to apply the can opener to the can, first the pilot pins engage the top of the can, then the stops 46 of the guide frame 43 are brought down onto the can rim, to definitely locate the can that both ends of the opener are equally spaced from the can centre. As the head continues downwardly the opener is thrust into position with its extremities in contact with opposite points of the inner periphery of the can. During this downward movement of the head the turntable is turning and the cans are held at rest by the resilient pressure of the guide frame. As soon as the can opener is thrust into place the cam roller is released by the decline l1 and is engaged by the incline M of the cam I3. The spring 28 raises the cam roller partly but the incline raises it still further, causing a corresponding lift to the pick up head 30, which is sufiicient to lift the finger 38 above the can and allow said can to be carried from under the head. During the time that the cam roller is upon the upper level l5 of the cam l3 another can is moving into place and imparting a quarter turn to the star wheel 51 and before this can is diametrically under the pick up head, the roller will drop to the normal level l6 thus lowering the head and its finger 38 to arrest the movement of the can beyond its appointed place. On the return stroke of the slide another can opener will drop from the rod 63 in the magazine onto the slide and become engaged by the buttons ready to be advanced on the next cycle of the machine.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination with a can conveyor and a can opener feed of a device for applying to a can a can opener of the same length as the inner peripheral diameter of the can top, which consists of a can opener receiving plunger, means for picking up a can opener from the feed and holding it to the plunger, means upon the plunger for engaging the rim of the can top, means for lowering the plunger to engage said rim and to force said can opener into engagement with upposing portions of said rim, and means for releasing the opener from the plunger.

2. The combination with a can conveyor and a ,can opener feed of a device for applying to a can a can opener of the same length as the inner peripheral diameter of the, can top, which consists of a can opener receiving plunger, means;

' peripheral rim portions.

consists of a can opener receiving plunger, means.

for afiixing a can opener from the can opener feed to the plunger, a resiliently mounted guide movable with the plunger, means for lowering the guide to engage the rim of the can top and for lowering the plunger to'force said can opener into engagement with opposing portions of said rim.

3. In combination with a can conveyor and a can opener feed of a device for applying to a can a can opener of the same length as the inner peripheral diameter of the can top, which consists of a can opener receiving plunger, said plunger having an electro magnet and a retractile pilot pin for receiving a can opener and locating said opener under the magnet, and means for lowering the plunger to force said can opener into engagement with opposing portions of the rim of the can top. N

4. In combination with a can conveyor and a can opener feed of a device for applying to a .can a can opener of the same length as the inner peripheral diameter of the can top, which for securing a can opener to the plunger, means carried upon the plunger normally projecting into the path of a can upon the conveyor to stop its forward movement, means upon the plunger for engaging opposite rim portions of the can top and means aligned with opposite inner peripheral rim portions for guiding a can opener from the plunger into the interspace between said inner peripheral rim portions, and means for forcing the plunger downwards to force the can opener into gripping engagement with said inner FRANCIS MILLERD. 

